A native of
Camden, Barclay graduated from
Camden High School as part of the class of 2000. During his senior year, he was captain of the Camden Panthers basketball team that won the
NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, defeating
Seton Hall Preparatory School in the championship game by a score of 50–46; The
forward had 12 points and 14 rebounds in the win, with 27 points from teammate and future
NBA player
Dajuan Wagner. Barclay scored 1,259 points in his high school career and was recognized in 2013 by inclusion in the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame.
John Calipari recruited Wagner to the
University of Memphis in June 2000, simultaneously agreeing to give Barclay a scholarship position on the team. Barclay played for three years on the
Memphis Tigers men's basketball team, averaging 2.6 points per game in the 2001–02 season, 2.1 points a game in 2003–04 and 2.1 points per game in 2004–05. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from Memphis. and been an assistant basketball coach at Camden High School. ==Elected office==